19_Project Launch Finalization (event date: 29 SEP 15)

During team time, our team finalized the Project Launch Report.  After receiving feedback from Dr. Gibson regarding the FDA classification of our device, we had to determine why the device was going to be at least Class II as Dr. Gibson had noted instead of the Class I that we thought it would be. 

We searched the FDA’s website for previous products and parts that resembled our device.  Using these devices as references, we were able to conclude that our device would definitely not be a Class III device and would most likely end up being a Class II.  An exoskeleton leg assisting device served as our primary reference for classification.  Patrick was influential in deciphering FDA regulation/classification details, and he finished revising the classification section of our report.

Earlier in class, I drew a few more concept sketches for the device’s joint locking system.  The problem we are faced with is that we can either (a) have a patient manually lock each individual joint fairly simply yet it would be time consuming or (b) create a more complicated system that simultaneously locks all the joints without taking much of the user’s time.  Most ideas we have come up with have seemed too complicated to implement on every joint and on such a small scale. 

 

In Figure A, two interlocking segments for a finger frame are shown.  The joint on one segment has tapered extrusions around it so that a moveable piece from the other segment could be used to lock the joint into place.  The rotating locking piece could be a simple pin housed in the red-highlighted arch section across the yoke-segment.  The pin could have two or three extrusions on it so that when rotated it would wedge against the joint’s extrusions and its arch-housing.  This pin as well as the other locking pins on the finger frame could be attached to one line, that when pulled would rotate the pin.  All of the lines from each finger could be pulled by one additional motor in the arm electronics-housing. This is the simplest  simultaneous locking system I can think of so far.